


Queen of the Cardboard Jungle

by KaibaSlaveGirl34



Series: Buffy Stories and Oneshots [28]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)
Genre: Betrayal, Break Up, Broken Promises, Community: comment_fic, F/M, High School, Inspiration, Past Relationship(s), School Dances, Song: Little Heaven, Tumblr: otpprompts, Wordcount: 100-2.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:26:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22093291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaibaSlaveGirl34/pseuds/KaibaSlaveGirl34
Summary: Buffy’s thoughts as she watches the other students dancing during her few moments of being a wallflower at the Hemery High “Hug the World” Amazonian-themed senior dance after Jeffrey dumped her.Oliver Pike: “Well, you seemed to be having a swell time... you know, Queen of the Cardboard Jungle.”
Relationships: Jeffrey Kramer/Jennifer Walkens
Series: Buffy Stories and Oneshots [28]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/417070
Comments: 2





	Queen of the Cardboard Jungle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Harry2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harry2/gifts).



> Hey there, my fellow writers and readers; I hope you’re doing really well with your stories, of course. Well, here’s a brand-new fanfic based on the 1992 film **Buffy the Vampire Slayer** that I cooked up one day. (And just so you know, despite what others might possibly think, I like the 1992 film just as much as I like the TV series, because Kristy Swanson sure did an amazing job as Buffy in the film.) 
> 
> Disclaimer: Genius Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I own the fanfics that I cook up from time to time.

**Queen of the Cardboard Jungle**

Tonight wasn’t just any night in Los Angeles, California. It was a big night at Hemery High School. For the seniors at Hemery High, it was the night of the “Hug the World” Amazonian-themed senior dance.  
From what Buffy Summers had heard, the girls who were known as **Hollywood Homely** were said and shown to be the wallflowers at either school dances or parties; basically, they would be standing in the corner (or off to the side) with their ill-fitting dresses and so-called “bad” makeup, as well as waiting for a guy — any guy — to come along and ask them for a dance.

 _Well, now I know how **that** feels myself,_ she thought. However, as she knew very well, she was the exact opposite of the Hollywood Homely. Nor was she even a nerd in the looks department for that matter, either.

Buffy sighed. Back then, in her innocent, pre-Slayer days, the guys would be lining up to ask her to dance; she could’ve had her pick of dates. And now, when she had lost her popularity status after having been called as the Slayer? Basically, she was now the epitome of that very wallflower, waiting for someone to come along over to her and hold their hand out as the wordless invitation to ask her to join them on the dance floor (which, she knew, she would gladly accept).

Although at the moment, it didn’t look like that was going to be happening to her any time soon.

She shook her head sadly as she recalled what had happened earlier...

_“Jeffrey, there you are!”_

_Jeffrey Kramer suddenly noticed Buffy approaching him, and a puzzled look adorned his features, causing Buffy to look similarly confused when she saw his face. “What are you doing here?” he asked._

_“I thought we’d come here together,” she replied._

_“I’m here with Jenny,” he said. As if on cue, Jennifer ‘Jenny’ Walkens appeared with a giggle, looking up at Jeffrey with a big grin, which faded as soon as she saw Buffy._

_“I don’t get it,” Buffy finally said._

_“Come on, Buffy. You know what’s going on. It’s not working out at all. I gotta move on. I got needs too. I told you about all this,” Jeffrey finished, as Jenny, now puzzled herself, then looked up at him._

_Buffy frowned. “No, you didn’t.”_

_Jeffrey looked at her, having decided that it was time to be honest and direct with her. “Didn’t you get my message?”_

_Buffy blinked. “You left me a **message**?” she queried._

_“You weren’t home,” Jeffrey replied, a touch of annoyance in his voice, which faded as he added, “Like always.”_

_Now, Buffy was even more confused. “You broke up with my **machine**?”_

_Jeffrey decided that now was the time to leave. “I’m outta here. Jenny. Jenny! We’re leaving!” he called as he headed off._

_As Buffy watched her now ex-boyfriend walk away, she felt a stab from the knife of betrayal when she saw her so-called friend Jenny heading after him, while almost tripping over her own feet._

_And as for Buffy... she was then left alone by herself — completely forgotten. Her heart was feeling as though it was about to break into a thousand pieces._

* * *

As she pulled herself back to the present, Buffy shook her head sadly. Jeffrey had showed his cowardly side by leaving her a message that they were through on her answering machine instead of deciding to swallow his pride and getting up the courage to tell her in person.

Now, Buffy had learned a lesson the hard way: not all relationships last, and most of them usually took time to flourish too. In her case, Buffy knew, she and Jeffrey weren’t meant to last... because she had changed from the carefree, popular girl that she used to be. He still remembered her as the girl that only cared about things like shoes, clothes, hair, make-up and boys; however, she knew that deep down, that was actually the mask that she’d gotten tired of, and she had matured from the so-called “airhead” she had pretended to be. She also knew that she was really smart, but hid her smarts by hiding behind the mask of the “dumb blonde” in order to impress the popular airhead girls.

Now, she had become the Slayer, and the girl she used to be was rapidly fading. She also knew that her sacred duty as the Slayer was a responsibility.

**Author's Note:**

> Rest in peace, Luke Perry (October 11, 1966 — March 4, 2019). You did an amazing job as Oliver Pike in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and you will never be forgotten..


End file.
